An oil leak right in Vancouver harbour, with slicks washing up on the pristine shores of English Bay and Stanley Park — that certainly gets voters paying attention to the environment in an election year. April’s spill from a cargo ship’s own fuel tank was small as these things go — less than 3,000 litres, […]
Comment: Opposition to oilsands pipelines is having an impact
The grassroots resistance against the Alberta oil sands and its pipelines is having an impact. A recent publication by the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis, titled “Material Risks: How Public Accountability is Slowing Tar Sands Development,” stated production revenues from the oil sands were down $30.9 billion between 2010 to 2013. It also […]
Comment: Oil pipelines and the drama of social license
On June 17, when the federal government announced its conditional acceptance of the Joint Review Panel’s recommendation for approval of Enbridge Inc.’s Northern Gateway pipeline project application, it took mere moments for opponents to be up in arms. Grand Chief Stewart Phillip, head of the Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs, told the CBC, “We will […]
Comment: Oil sands love/hate relationship
Having spent seven years in my early career as an on-site executive of Great Canadian Oil Sands (now Suncor) – Canada’s pioneer developer and first successful extractor of oil from this massive all-Canadian resource – I feel compelled to comment on the increasing tendency by many to criticize this economic crown jewel. Not one Canadian […]
Can new technology ease concerns over pipeline safety?
Who could have ever imagined that North America would surpass Saudi Arabia as the world’s largest producer of oil and natural gas liquids? A decade ago, that would have seemed laughable. Yet that’s exactly what has happened; and it’s not just Saudi Arabia that has been left in North America’s dust — Russia has, too. […]
Comment: Train riskier than pipeline for oil
People who are adamantly protesting the Northern Gateway pipeline’s tentative approval seem to forget one very important thing. Both the Canadian National and the Canadian Pacific Railways are ready to use “unit trains,” similar to the coal trains that rumble along to the Roberts Bank super port, but instead of coal, the trains will be […]
Comment: Oil sands producers care about health
Canada’s oil sands producers are deeply concerned about suggestions that we don’t take proper protective measures, or that we lack care or concern about our neighbours’ health. These suggestions are troubling to us as citizens, parents and employees. A Royal Society of Canada scientific report found no evidence linking health issues to oil sands development. […]
Comment: Tugboats should protect B.C. coast from another Exxon Valdez disaster
The federal government’s recent approval of the Northern Gateway pipeline requires the company to meet 209 tough conditions. Some of those conditions specify marine and tanker safety requirements, including provisions for both oil spill recovery and, more critically, oil spill prevention. As someone who frequently kayaks along our beautiful mid-coast, I’m well aware of the […]
Funding the fight
Fundraising efforts are underway to help pay for the pending legal battle against the Northern Gateway Pipeline. British Columbia First Nations and environmental groups are involved in the campaign. A website, Pull-Together.ca, has been created to collect the donations. Sierra Club BC spokeswoman Caitlyn Vernon says the initial goal is to raise $125,000 . (source: […]
Grounding in Prince Rupert Shows Tanker Risks
Earlier this month a 750-foot coal carrier ran aground outside Prince Rupert in British Columbia. While there wasn’t a spill, critics were quick to take advantage of the situation and declare a proposed pipeline in the region underscores the risks of increasing tanker traffic. The Japanese-flagged ‘Amakusa Island’ was moving from its berth at a […]